


A hero's Sacrifice.

by ShadowDragonRider



Category: Star Fox Series
Genre: Death, Friendship, Sacrifice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-19
Updated: 2016-05-19
Packaged: 2018-06-09 11:43:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6904564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowDragonRider/pseuds/ShadowDragonRider
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The battle was over, the ship was saved. The refugees from the planet Fincha, saved. But what about the one blue falcon who gave away everything, to save his family, his only friends. Post-Andross</p>
            </blockquote>





	A hero's Sacrifice.

**Author's Note:**

> I'll be honest, I would've expected someone to make some kind of parallel by now, but I guess not! Well here we go!

Falco grunted as he slammed his foot into the container door, each slam echoed throughout the ship, with each vibration a tool that slowly shattering the lock and the hearts of the very crew he flew with. He could hear the crew pounding on the door, begging him to stop, but his motive was clear, his mission; critical. He gasped, placing both of his wings on his knees for a quick breather as the radiation clutched to him, each kick felt like he was forcing himself to move through sludge, the heat and intensity that burned his lungs were overpowering and yet he carried on.

He glanced upwards at the lock, the bolt holding it shut utter beat and broken. With one last pained yell, he brought his foot down in a kick onto the bolt shattering it. he lightly chuckled as he reached inside and pulled out the large black cylinder which held a new reactor core. He carefully moved himself to the center of the chamber and opened the fusion reactor which had raised out of the ship just below him, while equally being careful to avoid eye contact with his crew just outside the heavy glass door. 

He reached inside and was met with a roaring heat, the feathers on his hand burned away as his flesh bubbled and boiled, he seethed in pain, he held back his cry as he felt a tear well up in his eye. Be damned if he was going to let his crew... No friends see him cry in agony. He clutched onto the current reactor core filled with plutonium, he was gentle as he slowly twisted it using the handle pulled it out, careful to avoid it shaking and spilling its contents into the chamber. He couldn't hold onto the pain any further and his cry of pain filled the ship, broadcasted over every radio frequency that was watching over the broadcast to every home, one every planet that was watching. 

He dumped the plutonium into the container and closed the door, allowing the mechanical lock to seal the plutonium behind a lead container. Falco whimpered as he picked up the other plutonium reactor core. It was his idea after all to place an extra line of defence on the reaction cores after the infiltration of the Great Fox, he didnt half expect Slippy to come back with an ancient manual lock and key. 

Once more he braved the pain, using his other hand to pick up the reactor core and lower it into the fusion chamber this was much easier on him as all he had to do was lower it down and twist it into place. 

'60 SECONDS UNTIL FICHINA NUCLEAR ENERGY STATION OVER LOADS' 

ROB informed the crew as they all turned to listen to him, before with more impatience and fear begged for Falco to stop. It was the first time any of them had managed to tune themselves into his hearing. For the past 2 minutes he had be ignoring them to spare them pain. He wanted them to think he died doing something noble, that he did it for his own narcissistic reasonings, to become immortal and die. He wanted his friends and the world to know not to cry or celebrate his death, that he was just an asshole wanting to die like a hero. 

But no matter how much he tried, no matter how much he ignored them, they carried on. They carried on begging him to stop, to let Slippy continue as he was quickly putting on a radiation suit, while Krystal General Peppy struggled to help him to speed up the process. It was too late now, there was enough radiation in the chamber to flood the entire ship. Even if Falco was to succeed, he knew he was going to die. He hated how this wasnt his style. He knew in his heart he would always die fighting, but fighting to save the life of his crew, the General of the Cornerian army and the thirty two refuges they had saved from the station was not what he had expected maybe, to die while in his fighter, to die taking his enemies down with him so he could greet them at the door to hell. But to die to nuclear radiation exposure was not what he was expecting, or as painless as he had hoped. Slowly one by one they stopped as they watched him seal the container of the reaction core, listening to the rumble of power emerge through the ship as ROB took over the controls. 

'INITIATING EMERGENCY WARP DRIVE' ROB called as the engines booted up, and forced the ship to power away from the planet. 

'30 SECONDS UNTIL NUCLEAR OVERLOAD' ROB called again as the warp drive was initiated, with a quick hum and a blast of sound, they suddenly found themselves in orbit. Falco watched from inside the chamber as the crew expressed shocked faces at the sight of space, a cheer could be heard as the refugees in the hanger cheered for the victorious moment, unaware of the tragedy taking place. 

Falco slammed the decontamination button located near the door, lowing the reactor into the ship's interior, the ship's mainframe displayed a countdown timer for two minutes until all the radiation was cleared. He collapsed to the floor as the crew watched in bleakness, standing back as Fox could only lower himself to his level, his face filled with regret and anger. 

"How is the ship?" Falco asked as he gasped for breath, his eyes were bloodshot, his feathers were falling off and only thing Fox could do was be filled with pity and struggle to respond as he watch his friend, inching his way to death. His lips quivered as he felt tears spilling to his face. "We are out of immediate danger" he uttered as he caught his breath as he wiped away tears. "You saved the crew"

Falco gave a short chuckled, but stopped as he cringed with pain. "Good" he uttered, keeping his words to the minimum to decrease the pain. "the way you beat up that guy was a wicked" he groaned as he placed the right side of his face on the glass.

"It would have been, what you would of done." Fox muttered as he placed his forehead on the glass, his snout just touching the glass. "And this... This is what you would of done" Falco replied back with a pained smiled. "It's was only logical" he explained as he gave a violent cough which caused his body to explode in a colour of pain. His eyes lost focus for a few seconds as he looked absentmindedly out the door. Blood had begun to ran down his beak from his nasals, it streaked down his face onto the floor, dripping down the door.

"I'm scared Fox... I've never been scared before..." he whispered as he placed a hand on the glass window. "Help me not be... how do you choose not to feel fear?" he asked as he refocused on Fox.

"I don't know.." Fox gasped as he choked on his breath "Right now i'm feeling fear, fear that i'll lose the best pilot I have ever known, and my best friend." he uttered as he watched Falco splutter and cough again, this shouldn't be how his friend dies, not now. But despite this Falco gave a small grin, it was pathetically weak and filled with pity. "Don't butter me up Fox, we both know..." he wheezed and coughed once before taking a quick breath before continuing. "Both know you are far better than I ever was" he dropped his grin and closed his eyes taking short shallow breaths, trying to conserve his energy. He needed to explain to Fox everything, in his short time left he needed to thank him the only way he could.

"I need you to know... why I went back for you, even though you said not too." he explained as he looked at Fox, allowing his tears to freely fall now, he had reached the emotional barrier where his pride meant nothing to him now, only his honesty. "Why I couldn't let you die"

But Fox shook his head as he wiped away a tear, placing a hand on the glass over Falco's hand.

"Because you are my friend." 

Time seemed to slow down as Falco coughed a few more times, his eyes pleading for it to all be over, as he scanned Fox's face for any emotion other than sadness, he knew that even though he could not see it, he knew his friend felt comfort. He gasped a few more times as his vision started to fade, he breathing pitched as his beak quivered. Falco was never a religious type, he always seen it as nothing more than a crazy fantasy to believe in a higher figure, but still he found himself praying, not for forgiveness for his sins, this wasn't a last ditch effort to enter some afterlife, but rather a request to ensure the safety of his friends, the safety of his only family. 

 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

"Three hundred and eighty six billion and thirty six." A voiced boomed over the loudspeakers of the great Conerian capital night sky, General Peppy Hare stood in front of a great podium, where a statue of Falco stood, saluting the galaxy and the planet. "That is the estimated total of how many lives Falco Lombardi has saved in the Lylat system with the combined efforts of team Star Fox." he explained as he slammed a fist on his podium in front of him. "We also estimate he has saved at least eighty nine percent of the Cornerian population, twice!" he sighed as he unclenched his hand and turned towards the podium.

"He was a legendary pilot, and from personal experience, a great friend." He turned towards the huge crowd, carefully surrounding the Conerian lake park where they held unlit lanterns that would fill the night sky. 

"So I stand here today, to honour his image with a prestige award of the Sacrificial Purple Heart, awarded for the death of a hero during action to save the life of another." Peppy exclaimed as he turned slightly and indicated for Fox to step forwards. "As no, known relatives could be located the award will be received by Fox Mccloud on his behalf." he pulled open a box which had been sitting on his podium and handed it to Fox and indicated for him to step forward and speak. 

Fox sighed as he stood forward and adjusted the mic, cleared his throat and took a deep breath and puffed out his chest. "As a member of Team Star Fox, it is extremely dangerous, and a requirement is to have a will in case of death..." he paused as he raised a hand to his snout and coughed before lowering it again.  
"Sorry... I've never read any of my team's wills until necessary, and from reading Falco's will, it surprised me to no end." he explained as he felt his confidence rise.  
"Falco specified that he is to have a small service, where his cremated remains will be buried under the oak tree in the Cornerian Park." Fox lips waved, licking his lips before continuing. "He specifies how instead of music or a service, he just wants a single lantern to be lit, and release in the night sky, with specifications that all his money collected and saved in his bank over fifteen years is correctly donated towards several causes" he explained as he flip over the page to read out to the public. 

"fourteen Million units including his pension will be used to fund the Zoness clean ocean program to clean the ocean of toxic material, while a further one million units will be spent on the Trouble Aviation Youth Program, to teach kids with criminal or troubled pasts the ability to fly, to give them the opportunity to find work in aviation, he specifies how it has to be the same organisation Falco joined on Zoness when he was ten." Fox pauses as he looks down at his card with his speech on the honour of being the friend of Falco and his role as a pilot in his mercenary group. Instead Fox raises his nose is disgusts and places it down, directly referencing the crowd. 

"He was one of my best friends and one of the best pilots I have ever had the good fortune of knowing and be damned if i'm going to mourn him at his own service!" Fox exclaimed as the crowd perked up to his speech, the feeling of sadness suddenly uplifted. "Falco has and always will be a member of Team Star Fox, and as long as this statue stands and I live, there will not be a moment of my life where I don't celebrate his courage, dignity and life!" 

the crowd cheers in joyus agreement as Fox raised his right hand curved into a fist. "Ladies and gentlemen! In honour of a great pilot and friend who sacrificed everything, may we all light the eternal flames of his existence!" Fox yelled as tears rolled down his face, the crowd cheered raising their fists in the air in agreement.  
Krystal and Slippy who had been on the stage behind him handed Fox a floating lantern and gave hima match to ignite it. Each of them had their own which was already ignited and ready to go. 

Fox was quick to match and was the first to release, followed by Slippy, Peppy and Krystal followed by the mass ignited lantern which flew up into the night sky. 

Fox had dealt with other matters privately, such as his fighter going to the Troubled Aviation Youth Program and a large sum of money going to Dash the monkey and his old friend and lover Kat. 

Fox saluted as he watched the lanterns float away, all he could do now was wish his best friend a peaceful rest.


End file.
